Lucky Duck
by Tastes-Like-Fry
Summary: James blinked in surprised, one moment he was looking into his favourite green emeralds and the next he was face to face with a stuffed duck.


**2:34am**

The dorm was quiet and peaceful, the gentle sound of a light pitter-patter of the dying rain on the window pane accompanied by the soft snores the four occupants of the room were emitting.

But for whatever reason, four light snorers suddenly became three.

Lily's eyes shot open, wide awake, as if she has been doused with cold water.

She shivered as a chill went down her spine and curiously peered at the clock mounted on her bedside table.

**2:36am**

_2:36 am?___Lily never knew such a time existed! She gave a strangled moan into her pillow. She had only gone to bed at one, having finally finished her Essay for Defence, and not even slept two hours? She had to get to sleep or she would be like a zombie for the rest of the day.

She quickly got up, fixed herself some water, went to the toilet, re-plaited her hair, picked her plush duck, Gerald, off the floor and snuggled deep under the blankets.

Lily's eyes refused to stay closed, her feet refused to stay still, even Gerald decided he didn't want to go to bed and took a nose-dive back onto the floor.

Lily grunted her hand searching for him on the floor, her lips scolding him for not helping her. She stole another glance at the clock.

**2:52am**

Lily yanked Gerald back into bed by his bill, and buried herself in the blankets, squeezing her eyes shut, willing herself to sleep.

Instead, she felt her nose tickle and then itch and then she could feel her whole body seize up.

Lily, panicked, blindly felt for her box of tissues on top of the bedside table. Her fingers grazed over her wand, many hair ties and pieces of jewellery she had meant to put away. She even pricked herself on her unclasped Head Girl's badge before the soft material she was looking for brushed her fingers.

She grabbed a handful and dragged it underneath the covers with her, shoving them to her nose just in time.

It is common knowledge that Lily Evans cannot sneeze quietly. Alice has many a time pointed out that her sneezes would measure on the Richter scale, and in third year, Sirius Black had claimed that it was the only thing that frightened him.

Lily smothered her sneeze as best as she could, into her handful of tissues, under the blankets. To Lily, it still was unfortunately loud and she quickly popped her head out from the blankets to look around the room to see if she had woken the others.

The room seemed just as quiet as normal; she hadn't disturbed anyone. Lily sighed with relief – then her eye caught the clock.

**2:57am**

Lily glared at the clock – she had lost precious sleeping time, and now she didn't feel tired. With a grunt of frustration, she mounted herself out of bed, gathered Gerald (who had managed to find his way to the floor again) and her small green crocheted blanket that her grandmother had made for her when she was eight.

She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like a cape, making sure Gerald sat securely inside an overly large pocket in the blanket, picked up her hot chocolate kit and made her way out of the dorm.

Lily's bare feet made no noise as she descended the stairs into the common room. Her eyes unwillingly found the wall clock.

**3:01am**

Turning away in disgust, she settled in front of the fire and unpacked her small kit. She stole guilty glances around her as she made her hot chocolate – a muggle kit, but she was able to charm the hot milk straight into one of her mugs from the two set.

Clasping her warm mug, and wrapping the blanket around her properly, Gerald tucked into her elbow; she gazed into the flames, willing herself to be tired. It was starting to work, as she has sipped slowly at the delicious drink, she felt herself sinking into the plush seats, her eyelids heavy. She debated going back to bed or letting herself fall asleep here.

She surveyed the room, her eyes once again catching the annoying clock.

**3:17am**

Turning away, she stared into the fireplace. The fire danced in her vision, hypnotising against the dark backdrop of the empty common room. The fire crackling, her own heavy breathing over the steaming mug the only sounds in the room…

_Creak_

… Except for the creak from the boy's stair…

Lily sat up straight in her chair at the sound of the well-known creak on the boy's staircase and immediately cursed as her hot chocolate slopped over the edge of the cup and seared her hand, she dropped the cup and hot chocolate went everywhere.

Lily didn't have time to register much, except that the footsteps that had been quiet on the staircase were now thumping, running towards her.

'Evans? What happened?'

Oh curses. Out of all the boys that could have descended those stairs it was James bloody Potter.

Lily couldn't bring herself to look at him, she leant forward, allowing her long fringe to cover her eyes that were swelling with tears.

'Merlin! Evans you've hurt yourself!'

Lily suddenly felt his hand gently on her arm, holding it still – suddenly the searing stopped, Lily could see through the curtain of her fringe James sweeping his wand on her arm, making quick work of the mess, and her blistering arm.

Lily was grateful that she hadn't plaited her fringe in with the rest of her hair, and that it covered her blushing face. That was until James lifted it out of the way, tucked it behind her ear and Lily's vision was filled with a concerned James Potter, his hazel (un-glasses-ed) eyes boring into hers, his hand gently stroking her hair.

'What are you doing up here at… at…' James turned away momentarily to glance at the clock.

**3:25am**

James cursed, loudly.

'James Potter!' Lily said indignantly, punching him lightly. 'Watch your language – what are you doing up at this hour?'

'I asked first.' James started rounding on her, his eyes snapping back to glare – riled for another fight.

Lily wasn't, however, and she realised at this moment at how close they were – that she was only wearing her favourite oversized t-shirt and tight knee-length leggings, and he was wearing a worn Quidditch t-shirt and very short running shorts, and the only thing between them was Gerald.

Blushing furiously, she did the first thing that came to her head to avoid and delay the current situation.

She hid behind Gerald.

James blinked in surprised, one moment he was looking into his favourite green emeralds and the next he was face to face with a stuffed duck.

'Lily Evans…' He started.

'Gerald.' Lily interrupted, her voice muffled from behind the duck.

'I… beg pardon?'

'Gerald.'

James suddenly caught on, his grin spread across his face in amusement. 'Well Gerald,' he said, playing along, 'Can you tell me why Miss Evans is up at 3:30 in the morning?'

**3:30am**

'Why should she tell you?'

James snorted and then rolled his eyes. 'Evans, why am I talking to your stuffed toy? Why can't I just talk to you? And why can't you answer me straightforward? It's a straightforward question 'Why are you up?'

'Mmcaarnseep' Lily said abashedly and muffled from a face full of fluffy duck.

'Come again?' James took her hands and forced Gerald out of her ashen face.

Lily yanked her hands back, and hugged Gerald to her chest, glaring at James. 'I can't sleep!' She yelled and kicked out at him – he was way too close for comfort, and wearing too little for her comfort.

Unfortunately for her, he was also had well-tuned reflexes and despite not having his glasses on, could see her foot making to connect with his stomach and he caught it, slightly unorthodox from his slight vision impairment, but held her foot in the air, teasingly. 'Is that all?' he asked amusedly.

She kicked him with her other foot – one which James didn't see coming and copped it in his chest. However he was quick to move to lodge it underneath his arm.

'Yes.' She hissed, 'I can't sleep, I came down here to let the fire lull me to sleep and you make the bloody step creak! Let my legs go!' She yanked her legs, hard and quickly.

Too quickly for James, who still had her legs clamped under his arms, and was not expecting the force of her actions to pull him forward sending him sprawling on top of her.

**3:31am**

'That wasn't supposed to happen.' Lily said, breathlessly, a flush creeping up from her neck as their proximity was closer than they had ever been. So close in fact, she could smell his breath; he'd been eating chocolate before bed, mint infused chocolate – or was that some sort of toothpaste?

Surprisingly James managed to recover first, although his words were quiet, just as breathlessly as Lily had been. 'I thought you were well learned in Newton's law.'

'I didn't know you were.'

'Muggle studies.' James' breath fanned her face, causing strangely pleasant shivers to go down Lily's spine which made the colour in her cheeks redden further, she hoped to Merlin that he wouldn't feel her heart pounding in her chest through Gerald who was wedged between them. Although from the way he was pressed up against her James could probably feel her trembling.

For a moment, both parties were at a loss to say or do, the only sound was their short breathing as they stared at each other.

James tongue briefly darted out to moisten his lips, a nervous habit of his when he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Lily's eyes were drawn to the movement, his kissable lips...

'James?' Lily moaned as she tried to control her thoughts.

'Lily,' James his voice deep, alluring, their noses touched lightly

'Get off me before I do something I-I...' Lily's words seemed forced between her rapid breaths. What was wrong with her? Her head said "no", but her body was screaming "YESYESYES" but she was in control, she had to be in control.

Suddenly nose-to-nose became kiss-to-nose. 'No... don't...' Lily melted as James trailed butterfly light kisses from her nose, down her cheek to behind her ear and her betraying body reflexively pushed up into him.

She had to take control.

'STOP!' Lily seized his head and wrenched it away.

Their eyes wide, panting hard, they both struggled for self-control.

'I'm sorry!' James said hurriedly. He sat up as she let his head go and she immediately felt cold.

**3:35am**

'I'm sorry, oh Merlin, Lily I shouldn't have.' He was panicked, upset, perhaps that he had been too forceful in his advances. 'Are you...?'

'I'm fine.'

There was a momentary pause where James' eyes flicked down for the briefest of moments and Lily was almost reared up to snap at him for perving on her, but James sniggered.

'Is Gerald ok?'

Lily blinked at him before glancing down at herself.

Wedged in her cleavage, Gerald was looking slightly squashed.

James and Lily had a good giggle as Lily prised Gerald from where he had been wedged and tried to make him less flat.

'You bent his beak!' Lily cried as she tried to shape it again.

'Does he want a kiss to make it bet...?' James was cut off as he was hit in the face with said duck. 'Ow! No really, that hurt! You got me right in the mouth! I'm bleeding!'

'Oh shush.' Lily shuffled over and inspected his lip. 'You're not bleeding, but I think the button must have caught you, I'm sorry I didn't mean to.'

'Great, a duck nearly split my lip at friggin half past three in the morning.'

Lily cast her eyes to the clock.

**3:37am**

'Well, have fun explaining that one, I'm going to bed.' Lily gathered her things and they stood and walked to the stairs, both pausing at the bottom.

'Goodnight.' James grinned at her, the fondly poked the duck's button eyes.

Lily smiled at her duck and glanced up at James, her grin faded.

A small black bruise was forming on his otherwise perfect bottom lip. His perfect, kissable lip.

**3:40am**

'Goodnight?' James prompted her, licking his lips nervously.

Screw control, those lips were hers. He tasted like the chocolate, he smelt like chocolate, don't ask her how but his lips felt like chocolate. Glorious, hot, sweet, velvety chocolate.

**3:45am**

'Goodnight.' Blushing furiously Lily left a dazed James Potter and raced up the staircase, dove into bed and hid beneath the covers, and squeezed Gerald tightly.

'Where have you been?' A voice demanded from across the room. 'And what gives you the right to freak me out like that by thumping all the way up the stairs and throwing yourself onto the bed?'

'I'm running away from Potter.' Lily's muffled voice came from her pillow. 'I hit him with Gerald.'

'Did you hurt him?'

'Yeah, but I kissed it better.'

'I meant Potter.'

'I know.' Lily murmured to herself, smiling as she licked her now minted chocolate flavoured lips.

**A/N:**

Mmm, chocolate kisses. 3

One of many stories that had been sitting around on my computer, finally finished! Random idea, might have been the fact that I was listening to Matchbox 20's '3am' when I started this

JKR owns HP

I own Gerald. ;)


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